KEY POINTS:
A second-half reshuffle spurred the Auckland Diamonds to a thrilling 45-42 win over Northern Force in National Bank Cup netball action today.
The Force made a flying start in Waitakere and held the upperhand throughout the first half.
Their international trio of defenders Vilimaina Davu, Leana de Bruin and Sheryl Scanlan put the squeeze on the Diamonds' young shooting combination of Paula Griffin and Maria Tutaia, which stalled most of their attacking momentum.
At the other end Force shooters Megan Dehn and Catherine Latu could do little wrong as the reaped the rewards of an abundance of possession to pot goals at will, while Silver Ferns centre Temepara George was at her best both on attack and defence.
With the acid on and trailing 9-18 at the first break, the Diamonds pegged one goal back in the second quarter before exploding into life after halftime.
"What a comeback. Ten goals, it's absolutely sensational," Diamonds coach Sue Hawkins said afterwards.
"We were looking to get the ball into Maria Tutaia and Grace (Rasmussen) stepped up, took the shots and she just carved them up. Our defence also stepped up big time from last weekend."
The change, from wing attack to goal attack, of Rasmussen gave the Diamonds the movement and speed they had been missing while Anna Scarlett rose to the challenge in the defensive line with an inspiring effort to put the breaks on the Force shooters.
Scoring five unanswered goals after the halftime resumption ignited the Diamonds' comeback and, after trailing by 11 goals at one stage, they chipped the deficit back to one heading into the last quarter.
With the pressure on, the error rate climbed in the Force side as the lowscoring final quarter came down to a battle of defensive abilities.
At goal shoot for the second half, Tutaia found her shooting range with a steady stream of successes while Rasmussen's ability to add movement and variation backed up with a solid six from six.
With the scores tied halfway through the final stanza, the ball seesawed from end to end with few goals being scored as players put their bodies on the line and all-out defence came to the fore.
The Force missed several attempts to nail the game in the final minutes while the Diamonds, after bursting into the lead late in the piece, held on for just their second win in the "Battle of the Bridge" in 10 matches.
"After the first quarter, we got caught chasing when we just needed to stick to our own gameplan," Force coach Yvonne Willering said.
"We lost that game but full credit to Maria Tutaia, in particular. When she got the ball in hand, she netted the shot and we became very hesitant.
"We had the opportunities and we either gave them the ball and our shooters stats weren't up to it today."
In today's other match, defending champions Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic overcame a slow start when they trailed the Capital Shakers 12-13 at the first break to power home comfortable 61-40 winners in Tauranga.
A dominant 25-6 third quarter inspired by Magic defender Casey Williams and shooter Irene van Dyk, who slotted 49 from 50 attempts for the game, were highlights for the home team.
- NZPA
